Mexican bus crashes down ravine killing 57

Fifty-seven people have been killed in Mexico after an overloaded tour bus veered off a mountain road in the east of the country…

Fifty-seven people have been killed in Mexico after an overloaded tour bus veered off a mountain road in the east of the country.

Local officials said there were three survivors of the crash, one of the worst in Mexico in recent years. After a day of searching, the death count was lowered to 57 from 63 earlier.

The bus went off the road on a steep stretch of highway linking Mexico City with the Gulf of Mexico port city of Veracruz.

Corpses were lined up on black plastic sheets on the floor of a makeshift morgue in the nearby town of Maltrata, and masked health workers transferred them to coffins.

The dead, including some 10 children, were all Mexicans on a chartered bus, which rescue services said was overloaded with passengers. The crash could have been caused by either brake failure or driver negligence, police said.

  • Join The Irish Times on WhatsApp and stay up to date

  • Sign up for push alerts to get the best breaking news, analysis and comment delivered directly to your phone

  • Listen to In The News podcast daily for a deep dive on the stories that matter